James River at Scottsville water level

Name: James River at Scottsville water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, James River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.61ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 12:15 AM EDT (47 min ago)

Flow: 1,400 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 4.00 ft by Monday, October 19 at 08:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 10:48 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at James River at Scottsville, where the gauge shows 3.61 ft.

It is 16.39 ft below the flood stage of 20.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 4.00 ft by Monday, October 19 at 08:00 PM. The 30-day range is 3.50 ft – 4.49 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 34.02 ftJune 22, 1972
Forecast peak: 4.00 ftMonday, October 19 at 08:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 20.00 ft.

What happens at each level

27.00 ft: Top of flood wall. Town of Scottsville evacuated
22.00 ft: Main Street gate is closed.
17.00 ft: Ferry Street gate is closed.
13.00 ft: Levee pumping operations begin
3.61 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	34.02 ft	June 22, 1972
2	31.77 ft	November 6, 1985
3	30.00 ft	August 20, 1969
4	28.24 ft	September 7, 1996
5	26.17 ft	April 17, 1987
6	26.02 ft	January 20, 1996
7	26.00 ft	September 19, 1944
8	25.84 ft	August 16, 1940
9	25.46 ft	March 19, 1936
10	25.31 ft	April 23, 1992

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:27 AM Sunset 06:32 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 56%

Map

Other gauges on the James River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
James River at Lick RunRiver gauge, James River	2.43 ft	Below flood stage	−0.27 ft	71 mi
James River at BuchananRiver gauge, James River	1,010 cfs	Normal	−270.0 cfs	68 mi
James River at Bedford Dam near MajorRiver gauge, James River	5.99 ft	No reference yet	−0.06 ft	51 mi
James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big IslandRiver gauge, James River	1,400 cfs	Normal	−230.0 cfs	51 mi
James River at Holcomb RockRiver gauge, James River	4.69 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	47 mi
James River at Bent CreekRiver gauge, James River	3.57 ft	Below flood stage	+0.42 ft	26 mi
James River at CartersvilleRiver gauge, James River	1.68 ft	Below flood stage	−0.54 ft	24 mi
James River near RichmondRiver gauge, James River	4.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	54 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Hardware River below Briery Run near ScottsvilleRiver gauge, Hardware River	28.8 cfs	Normal	−6.4 cfs	2.2 mi
Slate River near ArvoniaRiver gauge, Slate River	2.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	9 mi
Rivanna River at PalmyraRiver gauge, Rivanna River	2.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	13 mi
Rockfish River near GreenfieldRiver gauge, Rockfish River	2.75 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	19 mi
South F Rivanna River near CharlottesvilleRiver gauge, South F Rivanna River	58.0 cfs	Normal	−9.3 cfs	21 mi
Mechums River near White HallRiver gauge, Mechums River	26.2 cfs	Normal	−3.8 cfs	22 mi
Moormans River near Free UnionRiver gauge, Moormans River	15.5 cfs	Normal	−2.5 cfs	24 mi
North F Rivanna River near EarlysvilleRiver gauge, North F Rivanna River	35.4 cfs	Normal	−5.8 cfs	26 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the James River at Scottsville?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 16.39 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of James River at Scottsville today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 12:15 AM EDT, the water level was 3.61 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is James River at Scottsville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of James River at Scottsville normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at James River at Scottsville?

The highest level on record is 34.02 ft on June 22, 1972.

Is James River at Scottsville expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 4.00 ft by Monday, October 19 at 08:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02029000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.79737, -78.49140 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	3.61 ft	2026-10-19 04:15	Provisional
Flow	1,400 cfs	2026-10-19 04:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: James River at Scottsville (usgs:02029000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/james-river-at-scottsville

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer